Chapter 711: Changing Fate

Pan Yun also admitted: "Cultivation."

Wang Zhi blinked in surprise and asked curiously: "Shouldn't cultivation seek inwardly, to become desireless and unattached? Why does Daoist Pan go against this?"

Pan Yun sighed: "I don't like attention either, and I don't want this fame—but my master needs to eat."

Wang Zhi stared: "What?"

Pan Yun pointed to the towering Mount Sanqing in the distance: "That's my master."

Before arriving, Wang Zhi had carefully inquired; rumors said Pan Yun was a disciple of the God of Mount Sanqing, Pan Gong, and had taken his surname after becoming his disciple.

But he knew she was Pan Hong's daughter, already surnamed Pan, so he assumed the rumors were false.

After a moment of silence, Wang Zhi asked with curiosity: "Is your master truly a mountain god?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Yes."

Wang Zhi felt a pang of longing: "Might I be fortunate enough to meet him?"

Pan Yun studied him seriously: "That depends on whether your fate with my master runs deep enough to warrant a meeting."

A flash of golden light passed through Pan Yun's eyes; under her innate spiritual ability, she saw more clearly, and she smiled: "You truly do have fate with my master…"

Before she finished speaking, Pan Yun paused: "You're sick."

Wang Zhi blinked, then burst into laughter: "I've heard the Daoists of the Three Clear Temple on Mount Sanqing study under Ge Xianweng, and their abbot is the foremost Daoist physician of this age—today I see it's true; young Daoist, you saw at a glance that I'm unwell."

He smiled: "Whether I have fate with your master no longer matters—I'm already content just to have met you, young Daoist."

Pan Yun wasn't listening at all; she was seriously "seeing" him.

She saw not only that he was ill, but that his death was imminent; his golden aura of merit shone brightly, yet it was rapidly depleting—soon, when that merit vanished and could no longer protect him, he would die from his illness.

Pan Yun deactivated her innate spiritual ability and smiled at him: "A virtuous man like you shares good fortune with me—I'll take you back to meet my eldest brother; he'll treat you."

Wang Zhi shook his head with a smile: "I came here to see you, and I can't stay long—I must depart for Fujian soon."

"Fujian is at war. Why are you going there?"

Wang Zhi laughed: "Why don't you ask why I came to see you?"

"People come to see me every day—I'm used to it," Pan Yun said, then added: "But why did you come to see me?"

Wang Zhi's gaze was gentle, his smile warm: "To see if the Daoist Pan who revived Jiangnan is truly as her name suggests."

Pan Yun laughed, delighted: "And what's the verdict?"

"Not even close to overstated."

Pan Yun tilted her head, surprised: "My lord, you only asked two questions and already believe I'm worthy of my reputation?"

Pan Yun felt both proud and doubtful: "Am I really this powerful now? Whatever I say, my lord believes?"

Is it my personal charm—or the merit stone I've absorbed?

Wang Zhi countered: "Why did you speak so frankly to me? Aren't you afraid I'm an imperial hound sent to harm you?"

He laughed: "Isn't that how people in the Jianghu refer to folks like us?"

Pan Yun immediately grew serious: "'Hound' is for corrupt officials. Someone like you, we call a 'Blue Sky.'"

Wang Zhi burst into laughter, delighted, nodding repeatedly: "Good! Just as you trust me, I trusted you the moment I saw you."

Wang Zhi had come to Yushan County merely to see if she intended to stir up public sentiment—but after meeting her, he knew she was not such a person.

If she said her master needed it, he believed her.

Wang Zhi finished his tea, had his attendant and the innkeeper buy dozens of steamed buns, paid, and rose: "I'm leaving. Take care, young friend."

Pan Yun looked up seriously: "If you leave like this, you'll die."

Wang Zhi smiled: "Thank you, young friend, but I feel fine—and military urgency is like fire; it waits for no one. Until we meet again."

Pan Yun watched him mount his horse, accompanied by a secretary and an attendant, and ride off at speed.

Pan Yun murmured: "I told you you'd die… but since we met, fate has bound us—I'll challenge Heaven itself."

That very night, Pan Yun dragged Wang Feiyin to the roadside inn outside Yushan County.

In the remote, cramped inn, Wang Zhi was clutching his stomach, gritting his teeth, and writing a report.

He needed to record everything he'd uncovered and send it back to Jingcheng, so the imperial court could adjust policy based on reality.

The door opened; he didn't look up, assuming it was his attendant: "Go rest. I'll blow out the lamp myself."

The visitor didn't leave. Wind rushed through the open door, making the lantern flicker; he quickly cupped his palm to shield the flame, then looked up.

Seeing Pan Yun standing at the door, he blinked: "Young Daoist, why are you here?"

Pan Yun stepped aside, pulling Wang Feiyin forward with a smile: "I've brought my brother to save my lord."

Wang Zhi: "I'm not sick…"

Wang Feiyin said flatly: "I have three conditions for refusing treatment: first, those who know they're ill but refuse to be healed."

He asked: "Will you be treated or not? If not, I'm leaving."

Pan Yun: "We traveled day and night to get here—do you want us to return empty-handed?"

Wang Zhi extended his hand apologetically: "I'm grateful, both Daoists."

Wang Feiyin's expression softened slightly; he took Wang Zhi's pulse, then frowned and pressed his hand to his abdomen: "If it hurts, say so."

Wang Zhi kept saying "Ow!"—until the pressure reached his lower abdomen, his face turned ashen.

Wang Feiyin shook his head: "It's intestinal abscess. Surgery would heal fastest, but judging by your condition, you won't stop to recover—so acupuncture and medicine it is."

Wang Feiyin studied Wang Zhi: "Intestinal abscess is excruciating. You've endured this long without collapsing—impressive."

Wang Feiyin wrote a prescription and handed it to Pan Yun: "Go get the herbs and brew them. I'll administer acupuncture."

Their commotion roused the attendant.

Pan Yun pulled the attendant aside to brew the medicine.

She had many herbs in her space; she immediately selected the correct ones from the prescription.

By the time Pan Yun and the attendant brought the brewed medicine over, Wang Feiyin and Wang Zhi were deep in conversation, already bound as kindred spirits, and had thoroughly uncovered Wang Zhi's entire ancestral lineage.

With acupuncture and a bowl of medicine, Wang Zhi felt much better.

Before leaving, Wang Feiyin said, "Your illness needs quiet rest. Rest more, eat less. Luckily you're a vegetarian and don't eat meat. These next few days, eat less dry rations; when you're hungry, have some rice soup. Just don't starve to death."

Wang Zhi noted it all down, but his attendant was skeptical of the physician's instructions and couldn't help muttering, "How can there be such a thing as not eating when you're sick? If you don't eat, how will you have the strength to fight the illness?"

Wang Zhi said gently, "Listen to the Physician."

The attendant could only agree.

Pan Yun and Wang Feiyin left, but left him two packets of medicine to boil and take the next day.

Wang Zhi did indeed feel much better, so he did not rest. Instead, he got out of bed and continued bent over his desk, writing official documents.

Pan Yun and Wang Feiyin walked out of the relay station, heading side by side toward Yushan County. Yet with each unhurried step, they flashed more than ten meters ahead.

The two of them strolled back like this. Moonlight poured down, falling on them and casting two shadows—one large, one small.

Wang Feiyin said unhurriedly, "Do you know his name?"

"I don't."

Wang Feiyin: "You don't know anything, yet you called me here to save him."

Pan Yun: "As long as he's not a bad person, that's enough."

"You saved him, yet you didn't even ask his name?"

Pan Yun: "I have a fate with him. Saving him was my own wish. I don't expect his gratitude. If he doesn't tell me, I won't ask."

Wang Feiyin stroked his beard and said, "If he were forty years younger, I'd certainly overthink it."

Pan Yun shivered, glared at him: "Senior Brother, your mind is truly filthy. Are we not allowed to be friends across generations?"

Wang Feiyin gave her head a flick: "No respect for your elders!"

Only after the flick did he say comfortably, "His name is Wang Zhi, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The imperial court has reopened the silver mines, and he was ordered to Jiangnan to inspect the conditions of each silver mine."

"But haven't the silver mines in Fujian rebelled now? He's still going?"

Wang Feiyin: "He's already been to most of the mines in Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. Only those few mines in Fujian remain. From the looks of it, he intends to go."

Pan Yun: "These officials of the imperial court—some are too flexible, some are too rigid."

Wang Feiyin laughed heartily and asked, "Which kind do you like?"

Pan Yun: "I like them both, and dislike them both. Put them in the right position, and I'll like them. Put them in the wrong position, and I'll dislike them."

Wang Feiyin: "I hope this rigid Lord Wang can rescue the people from fire and water, and bring the rebels and the imperial court to a reconciliation."

War is a loss for both the imperial court and the people, and the people will lose more terribly.

Wang Feiyin stopped walking, looked up at the starry sky, his gaze deep: "If the imperial court sends troops to suppress the rebellion, it means they won't consider the rebels' demands. They'd rather use force to crush the rebellion than retreat to seek peace. This is a situation where both sides are wounded, and the people will inevitably be hurt the most."

Because the rebels are all common people, and the soldiers sent to suppress them are also common people. Their arms and provisions must all be taken from the people.

Pan Yun also looked up. From that twinkling sky, she saw countless shining stars, and also saw stars gradually dimming.

She stared at a dazzling star and said, "The Ziwei Star shines with unusual brightness. This is a sign of prosperity reaching its peak and beginning to decline."

Wang Feiyin said nothing.

Pan Yun frowned. Could it be that the Tumu Crisis five years from now already showed signs today?

Wang Feiyin sighed softly and stepped away.

Pan Yun hurried to catch up with him: "Senior Brother, if you knew the future, would you try to change it?"

Wang Feiyin: "Fate cannot be changed, nor can it be altered."

Pan Yun: "I don't believe it."

Wang Feiyin only smiled and said nothing.

Pan Yun refused to believe it, so the next evening she dragged Wang Feiyin out again. This time, they found Wang Zhi at a relay station outside Hangzhou Prefecture.

Wang Zhi saw the person push open the door and was completely stunned. He sat there blankly holding his brush and asked, "Are the two Daoist masters secretly following me?"

Pan Yun: "No, we're very busy. We have a lot to do during the day, so we can only come find you once it's dark."

Pan Yun attentively opened the medicine box for Wang Feiyin, grinning: "Senior Brother, please."

Wang Feiyin silently stepped forward to take Wang Zhi's pulse.

After taking the pulse, Wang Feiyin slightly raised an eyebrow: "You took your medicine today?"

Wang Zhi looked baffled: "The Physician prescribed medicine, of course I must drink it."

"You reached here in a single day. I thought you hadn't stopped to rest."

Wang Zhi smiled: "I didn't want to stop, but the horse couldn't take it, so I did stop at noon to rest for a while. The medicine was boiled in the morning; when I stopped at noon, I just reheated it and could take it."

One packet of medicine can be boiled into two doses. Pan Yun had left him two packets. He took three doses a day, with one left for tomorrow morning.

He felt he had already recovered considerably. (End of chapter)